Saturday, April 26, 2014

Adore

Grandma came over to visit tonight and hang out with the girls and watch Frozen.  It gave me some free time to draw and watch a movie on my own.  I did a little drawing but was pretty entranced with my movie selection for the evening. 



Adore is an indie film directed by Anne Fontaine and based on the novel by Doris Lessing. Two neighbor best friends, played by Robin Wright and Naomi Watts, live in remote location in Australia surrounded by stunning turquoise beaches. The women  do most things in life together including having two sons who are the same age and are quite good friends as well.  As the boys get older, they become attractive young men that the women describe in one scene as "like young gods." As the story unfolds, it becomes evident that the men have started to desire the other's mother and those feelings are reciprocated by the women.  There is a taboo relationship that begins to form between the four as each woman has been a mother figure to the other's son and the age difference is at least twenty years between the men and women.  The women, surrounded by the Utopian scenery, make smile lines and beach hair even seem attractive. The complex, provocative relationships and excellent acting had me completely wrapped up in the story; I never wanted it to end.  There is also something about cinematography that use subdued colors with a breezy, soft linen feel that I just can't get enough of.

The film isn't for everyone.  I would recommend it to anyone who has enjoyed films such as Laurel Canyon, The Good Girl, or American Beauty.

Sunday, April 6, 2014

Hello Kitty Cafe

Hello Kitty Café - Yes, please.

Character Cafe

Character Cafes in Tokyo:

I need these in my life.

A few new books and italian ice

As I mentioned in my previous post, my creative energy is working overtime these days.  As spring has arrived in the Midwest, I find myself wanting to draw the delicate petals of daffodils, pear tree blossoms, and happy plotted succulents.  Saturday was a beautiful day for being outside and I was hoping to get to sit on our deck and draw but it never worked out.  Mostly, our deck is a wreck since winter ands needs to be cleaned and spruced up.  I'd love to get some new furniture and to fill my empty pots as well. Perhaps another day. Sounds like a good excuse for a vacation day!

I did manage to get some great new books this weekend that I thought I would share:


 
I have done Lisa Congdon's line drawing series over at Creative Bug the last few weeks and when I found out she authored one of the 20 Ways to Draw books, I knew I would have to get it.  This 20 Ways to Draw a Tulip book is full of interesting ways to draw flowers and plants using very simple lines.  I love the simplicity in her work.  Maybe I just love simplicity.
 
I'd been wanting a Zentangle book as I tend to do a lot of doodling while on conference calls at work.  Zen Doodle is a great compilation of the different tangled designs that you could make.  There is a lot of good information about how to start a tangle, plotting out the shape, different patterns that can be used.  I've not looked at this one as much but am excited to get started.
 
Our weekend was capped off by a trip to Rita's Italian Ice.  Over a decade ago, I lived in Jacksonville, FL for several years.  Rita's was a stand on the beach that you could walk up to and get Italian ice's and custard; perfect after a day swimming in the hot sun.  My favorite has always been the gelati; a gelati is Italian ice in the bottom and custard on the top.  When I learned that Wichita was getting a Rita's and right around the corner from my house, I couldn't help but be excited.  Rita's is just as a good as I remembered and I'm sure they will come to know the faces of my family in the coming summer.